Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT THE KITCHEN WENT DARK
The next evening, the estate lost power.
Not everywhere.
Only the kitchen wing.
Emergency lights flickered.
The refrigeration system shut down.
The security cameras went black.
Norah stood beside the stove.
Her heart pounded.
She had just finished preparing Vincent's broth.
Then she noticed something.
The bowl she had placed on the counter was no longer where she'd left it.
Someone had moved it.
A guard appeared in the doorway.
“Miss Bennett, step away from the food.”
She froze.
“What?”
“Now.”
Enzo entered behind him.
His face was pale.
“Don't touch anything.”
Norah looked at the bowl.
Then at Enzo.
“What's happening?”
He swallowed.
“Someone accessed the kitchen during the outage.”
Norah's stomach dropped.
Vincent appeared moments later.
He looked at the untouched bowl.
Then at Norah.
“Did you prepare this?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone else touch it?”
“I don't know.”
Silence.
Vincent looked toward the security team.
“Secure the kitchen. Preserve the evidence. Nobody eats anything until it's checked.”
Norah stared.
The room seemed to tilt.
Someone had tried again.
Not with a gun.
Not with a knife.
May you like
With food.
The one thing Vincent had only just begun trusting.
